Meat-slitting machine



vJ. P. SPANG MEAT-SLITTING MACHINE Oct. 17, 1939.,

Filed Dec. 17, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet l v v lnvenTor.

Uoseph P. Spcng by W ATTys.

0a. 17, 1939. J. P. SPANG T 2,176,751

. MEAT-SLITTING MACHINE I Filed Dec. 17, 1937 Fig. 2.

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\Joseph P Spa n-g b mmw A TTys.

Oct. 17, 1939. J. P. SPANG MEAT-SLITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 1'7, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet. 3

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lrfivenTon h PS Oct. 17, 1939. J. P. SPANG MEAT-SLITTI'NG MACHINE 4 T. t o G/ & o. m ms. m mP s h a. 7 O b l i v. c m w (m. 17, 1939. J. P. spme I MEAT-SLITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 17,: 19a 5 Sheets-Sheejt 5 InvenTor. doseph Spcmg byw if ATTys.

Patented a. 17, 1939 iii till;

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MEAT-SETTING MAME Joseph P. Sc s. Quincy, Mass. Application December 1'7, 1937, Serial No. 180,368

Claims. j (Cl. 17-26) This invention relates to meat-slitting machines and has for its object to provide improvements in meat-slitting machines which will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated some selected embodiments of my invention;

Fig. l is a side view of a machine embodying my invention;

. Fig. 2 is a view of the machine looking toward 2% the right -in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the stripper member showing the manner in which it is mounted and adjusted;

Fig. .4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken 15 on the plane of the axes of the shafts 3 and t,

the shafts and the knives being shown in plan. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the shaft 3 showing a knife and feed disk in elevation.

m Fig. l is a fragmentary view showing one form of driving connection between the two knife shafts;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing the means for adjusting one of the knife shafts in Q5 the direction of its length;

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view through a meat-slittingmachine having a slightly difierent constructionfrom that shown in Figs. 1 and 2; v

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one of the meat-guiding members shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a slightly different embodiment of the invention and illustrating an adjustment of the device by which the meat is slit on one side only;

Fig. 12 is a viewof the stop collar hereinafter referred to;

Fig. 13 ls'a diagrammatic view illustrating a construction which may be used where the knives of the two sets are to be rotated at. different peripheral speeds.

The meat-slitting machine herein shown is of that type which embodies in its construction two sets of rotary slitting knives situated oppo-- site each other and between which the slice of meat to be sllt is fed. one set of knives operating to cut slits in one side of the slice, and the other set of knives operating to cut slits in the other side of said slice. The two sets of rotary knivesareindicated at l and 2, the knives of both sets being disk knives." The knives I are carried by Ta knlfeshaft 3 and the knives 2 are mounted on and carried by a knife shaft llthe knives -on each shaft being suitably spaced by means 'tional drag of the members l3 and II on the of spacing collars lL. These two lmife shafts are mounted in a suitable frame which comprises two vertical end members 5 and E which are suitably connected by tie rods 7, and between which the two sets of knives l and 2 are located. The knife shafts 3 and 4 may be rotated by any 5 suitable means, that is, either by power or manually. I have herein shown means for manually rotating the lmives, and for this purpose one end oi the knife shaft 3 extends through the 2 end member 5 of the frame and has fast thereto a crank d by which it may be manually operated and the two knife shafts 3 and t are geared together by suitable inter-meshing gears t and it which are mounted on said shafts 3 and t rew sbcctively.

The knife shafts 3 and 6 are arranged in the same horizontal plane and the slice it of meat to be slit is fed downwardly between said knives from the upper part of the frame.

.Associated with the knives are two combined fig slice guiding and stripper members 53 and it, each member being in the form of a convexly curved plate having slots l5 through which the knives project. These guiding and stripper plates l3 and it are arranged with the convex surfaces of each facing the other as best seen in Fig. 1 and said members thereby provide a converging throat into which the slice i2 is fed.

- The members I8 and It are so spaced that as the meat passes between them they will exert a Y frictional drag on both sides of the meat. The

knives are rotated in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 1, and the rotation of the knives tends to pull the slice of meat downwardly but the fric- 35 slice tends to retard the movement so that the knives will operate on the meat with a draw out. One of the guiding members, the guiding member IS in the illustrated embodiments of the invention, is mounted so as to be capable of yielding movement toward the shaft 3, and the mounting for the other guiding member I! is such that said member may also have a yieldlng movement, or said member may be clamped 45 in a fixed'position, depending upon the manner in which it is desired to slit the meat. Said member II is also capable of adjustment toward and from the axes of the. knife shafts. -When the member I4 is mounted to have a' back- 50 -ward yielding movement then the passage of the slice li of meat'between said members [3 and I, will cause the meat to be slit on both sides. By properly adjusting the position of the member I4 and then clamping it flxedlv in msi- 5 tion the machine will be converted into one which 'will either make slits in one side'only of the slice or one which will cut the sliceinto strips.

In the construction herein shown both of the members It and M are yieldinglyinounted, but the invention would not be departed from if one of them only were thus yieldingly mounted. The members l3 and H are secured at their upper and lower edges to cross bars l8 extending trans: versely of the machine, each cross bar being se-. cured at each end to a bushing H which is slidably mounted on a horizontal rod l8 that is supported in bosses IS with which the end members 5 and 6 of the frame are provided. Each bushing I1 is backed by a spring which .is located between said bushing and the corresponding boss l9, said springs 20 providing a yielding backing for the members l3 and I 4.

Thebushings I! for the upper and lower bars iii are shown as rigidly connected by a yoke member 2| so that when pressure is applied to either member l3 or I by a slice of meat passing between said members the yielding movement of the member will take place evenly at the top and bottom thereof. Mounted on each rod I8 is a sleeve 61 which is held in fixed position on said rod by a pin 66 extending through the rod. These sleeves 61 cooperating with the bushings l'l serve as stops to limit the springpressed or forward movement of the member l3.

Each sleeve 61 is provided at its left-hand end (see Fig. 1) with a removable split collar member 89, which when in position as shown in Fig. 1, serves as a stop for the forward or springpressed movement of the guiding member M. The two parts of the split collar member 89 (see Fig. 12) are held together by a clamping screw 88, the removal of which permits the collar member to'be removed from the rod. When the collar members 89 have been thus removed the guiding member II is permitted to move forwardly into either the full line position, Fig. 11 or the dotted line position in said figure. Each of the bushings ll of the guiding member I4 is provided with a set screw 81 by which the bushings can be locked to therods l8, thereby holding the guiding member ll rigidly in any desired position. With this construction the upper or receiving end of each guiding member is spaced a fixed distance apart from the lower or delivery end thereof. and when a thick slice of meat is passed between the. guiding members they will be separated from each other by a bodily movement,

As stated above, when the collar members 89 I are in place on the rods I8 as shown in Fig. 1

then the members M will be heldin such position that the knives 2 will project through the slots thereof and any slice of meat passing between the two members l3 and I4 will be slit on both sides. When the collar members 88 are I removed. and the guiding member N is fixedly secured in the position shown in Fig. 11 by means of the set screws ",then the knives 2 do not project through the member H and the slice l2 of meat passing between the members II and I4 will be slit on. one side only as shown in Fig. 11.

If it desired tocut the slice l2 intostrips then the guiding member l4 maybe adjmsted still further to the right, Fig. 11 into the dotted line position sothat the knives I will project not only. through the slots in the member II but also through the slots 'in the member I4, and

the frame.

through the slice and divide it into strips.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown an endless apron 22 by which the-slices l2 of meat may be fed to the slitting knives. This endless apron is shown as passing around guide pulleys 23 and 24. The lower guide pulley 23 is illustrated as journalled in ears 25 extending from one of the bosses I! as best seen in Fig. 3, and the roll 24 is shown as journalled in a hearing at the upper end of arms 26 which are secured to and extend from This endless apron 22 is a freely movable apron, and in using the device-the operator will place a slice I2 of meat on the upper run of the apron 22 and then push the slice downward, which willgive feeding movement to the apron that will carry the slice of! from the apron and onto the guiding member I4, said slice of meat then passing down between the members l3 and I4 and thus being operated on are journalled in the sides 5 and 6 of the frame.

The shaft 3| of the guide roll 29 is journalled in suitable brackets 32 which are secured to the sides 5 and 6 of the frame.

Means are provided for operating the receiving apron 21 to cause the upper run thereof to move in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 for the purpose of positively delivering the slit meat from the machine, and for this purposethe shaft.

of the roll 28 has a sprocket wheel 33 fast thereon which is connected by a sprocket chain 34 to a sprocket wheel 35 that is fast on the r knife shaft '3.

In the operation of this machine the feeding of the slice of meat past the knives is accomplished partly by the action of gravity and partly by the friction of the knives on the meat. In order that the knives may exert a sumcient feeding movement to the meat to overcome any frictional drag of the stripper members against the meat I may, if desired, make the knives with notches 36 in their peripheries, as shown best in Fig. 6. If dmired, I may also mount one or more feed disks 3'! on each shaft, said disks being situated between the knives and each preferably having a serrated or undulating periphery as shown in Fig. 6. These feed disks 3! act as feed wheels to positively feed the meat forward, and the guiding members I; and I4 are provided with wide slots 68 to accommodate said disks.

The knife shafts '3 and l are mounted in the frame so that theycan be adjusted toward and from each other thereby to vary the depth of the slits which are made in each side of the meat.

For this purpose each end of each shaft is journalled eccentrically in a bushing 38 which is mounted for turning movement in the end member of the frame, the shafts being so mounted in the bushings that the shaft axis is oil center from the axis of the bushing. Each bushing '38 has secured thereto an arm 39 by which it may beturned in the endframe and because of the,

eccentric mounting of the shafts I and I in the bushings the turning of the bushings will move the shafts .toward and from each other. "Each arm 39 carries at its end a spring pressed locking pin is which is adapted to engage in anyone of a plurality of holes M with which the end member ofthe frame is provided; The locking pin til has a head s2, and by grasping said head and pulling backwardly on the pin it can be disengaged from an aperture M, and then by swinging the arm 38 the bushing 38 may be turned to provide the desired adjustment of the shaft. After the adjustment is made the bushing will be locked in its adjusted position. by the engagement of the locking pin m with one of the holes 8i. Each pin 59 is acted on by a spring 69 which yieldingly holds it in operative position. a

There is-a similar eccentric bushing at each end of each shaft and the two bushings for each shaft are connected together by a yoke member 33 so that when the bushing at one end of the shaft is turned the turning movement will be communicated through the yoke 33 to the, bushing at the other end of the shaft.

The gears 9 and ill, by which the two shafts 3 and 4 are connected, are shown as having long teeth d5 (see Fig. 'l). The purpose of this construction is to provide for the adjustment of the shafts.

In order to maintain a proper operating driving connection between the sprocket wheels 35 and 33 in all adjusted'positions of the shaft 3. I have shown the end members 5 and 5 of the frame as provided with slots 85 in which the ends of the shaft 39 of the roll 23 are received.

These slots permit vertical movement of the roll 28 as the shaft 3 is adjusted by means of its bushings 38.

. I have also provided herein means for adjusting'the knife shafts 3 and a relative to each other in the direction of their lengths, withthe result that the two shafts may be relatively adjusted so that the knives on one shaft will be situated opposite to those on the-other shaft, or so that the knives on one shaft will be staggered relative to those on the other shaft. To provide for such-adjustment I propose to make the shaft d capable of adjustment in the direction of its axis, and for this purpose one end of the shaft t is journalled in a sleeve which is screwthreaded into the corresponding bushing 38, the sleeve 56 being held from movement longitudinally of the shaft but capable of turning movement relative thereto.

As shown i Fig. 4, one end of the shaft 4 extends through an inner sleeve 61 which is I mounted for rotation in 'the screw-threaded sleeve 66, said inner sleeve 51 having at one enda, flange 6B which engages the inner end of the screw-threaded sleeve 46, the outer end of said sleeve being engaged by a collar '49 which is locked to the shaft 40 by a cap nut 59. I

Means are provided for turningthe screwthreaded sleeve idwithin the bushing Stand the screw-threaded engagement between the sleeve and the bushing-will cause the sleeve to screw into or out of the bushing. Since the sleeve 48 is so connected to the shaft that it can have no movement longitudinally of the shaft, such movement of the sleeve in the direction of the axis of the shaft will shift the shaft longitudinally and thereby shift the position of the knives 2 thereon relative to the position of the knives i on the shaft 3.- l

The screw-threaded sleeve A8 is provided with an extension it in the form of aboss which carries a spring-pressed locking pin 52 which is acted on by a spring 53 situated within the boss 5| and is adapted toengage an aperture M with which the bushing 38 is provided. The spring 53 of the locking pin is confined between a collar 55 fast thereon and the end wall of the spring-receiving recess in the bushing and said pin is provided with a head 55 by which it can be manipulated.

To adjust the screw-threaded sleeve 55 the locking pin 52 is withdrawn from engagement with its aperture 54 and then said pin and the boss 5| are used as a crank for turning the sleeve within. the bushing, thereby to move the shaft .4 in the direction of its length. When the desired adjustment has been made the locking pin isagain engaged in the aperture 56, thereby locking the sleeve from furthermovement. With this arrangement the shaft 4 may be positioned sothat the knives 2 thereon stand opposite the knives l on the shaft 3 as shown in full lines, Fig. 4, or said shaft may be adjusted so that the knives 2 will have the dottedline position, Fig. 4. The gear i0 is wider than the gear 9 so that the adjusting of the shaft l longitudinally will not destroy the intermeshing relation of the gears. The end of the shaft 6 which is iournalled in the end member 5 of the frame is so mounted as to permit it to have its longitudinal movement.

Inasmuch as the knives 2 project through the slots it in the guiding member M it is necessary to provide for adjusting said member it with the knives when the shaft 4 is adjusted longitudinally. For this purpose the member is is connected to each cross bar it by means of clamping screws 51 which extend through slots 58 in the member is and have screw-threaded engagement with the bar It.

When the shaft 4 is to be adjusted longitudinally the screws til are loosened, thus permitof the knives should rotate faster than the other,

this end may be accomplished -by making one of the two intermeshing gears by which the knife shafts are connected larger than the other as shown in Fig. 13, wherein the gear 911 on the knife shaft 3 has a larger diameter than the gear Ilia on the knife shaft 6.

In Fig. 9 I have shown an embodiment of the invention wherein the two combined guiding and stripper members serve also asslice-feeding members. In this embodiment the two sets of of knives I and 2, the shafts 3 and d on which they are mounted and the frame members 5 and S in which the shafts are journalled have substantially the same construction as shown in so that'they can be moved with the slice i2 of meat as the latter is fed to the slitting knives l and 2. Each member 59, 60 is in the form'ofa plate provided with slots 99 through which the knives i and 2 project. The member 59 is secured at its upper endto a bar 6| which extends transversely of the machine and is carried by two arms 61 mounted on a rock shaft 63 which is journalled in bearings 64 carrled'by the frame.

The stripper plate 60 is similarly mounted upon a transverse bar 10 carried by two arms II on a rock shaft 12 which is also journalled in bearings 13 carried by the frame. The two members 59 and 60 are thus mouhte'dso that they can swing from their full line position downwardly into the dotted line position, and when a slice I! of meat is to be slit it will be placedv on one of the members 59, 80 as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 9, and then the two members maybe moved downwardly as the knives are rotated, thereby carrying the slice past the knives. It is intended that the slices to be slit will be of such a thickness that, as they pass between the two members 58, 60, the latter wlll'have stiflicient frictional engagement with the slice toinsure its proper feeding movement.

I have illustrated in Fig.- 9 a simple means for giving the members 59, 60 their meat-feeding movement. The swinging arm of each member is acted on by a spring 14 which normally holds the member in its elevated position, said spring being connected at one end to a pin 15 projecting from one of the swinging arms and being connected at its upper end to an anchoring pin 18 which is carried by a bracket 11. Plvoted on one of the pins 15 is an actuating bar 18 which.

is provided'with a slot 19 in which is received the pin 15 projecting from the arm 82, and this bar 18 is shown as having an upstanding extension 88 provided with a head 8!. Adownward pressure on the head 8! will operate through the bar 18 and the pin I! to swing the arms II, 88 from their raised full line position into their .lower dotted line position, thereby carrying the com.-

bined guiding and stripper members 58, from their full to the dotted line position.

In using this device a slice l2 of meat will be placed on one of the guiding members 58 or 88 and then the'operator will press downwardly on the-head 8|, this operation serving to feed the slice l2 between the knives, with the result that the knives will cut the desired-slits in the oppo-' sitefacesof the meat. After the meat has been delivered from the knives I the operator releases the pressure on the head 8| and the springs ll will then raise the members 88, 88 into their full line position ready to receive another slice of meat. 1

If desired the device shown in 'Fig. 9 may be equipped with the delivery apron 21 which is shown in Fig. 1' and with the means for adjusting the knife shafts toward and from each other and also relative to each other in the direction of their length which is shown in Figs. 1 to 8.

The first pass of each slice through the knives: will cut a series of parallel slits in each side of themeat, and if it is desired to cut in the meat on each side a second series of slits crossing those of the first series, then after a slice of meat has passed once throughthe knives, said slice will begiven a second pass through the knives but in a position in which series of slits made during the first pass will cross those made during the second pass.

; In the embodiment of the invention shown in- Fig. 1 the yielding movement of the guiding members It and It is provided for by the springs- 20 which encircle the rods "and areconflned between the bushings l1 and the bosses l8. In

Fig. 11 I have shown aslightly different con- 'struction wherein the two bushings H. on each rod l8 are-connected by a pulling spring 83, said spring being anchored at its. ends to Plus 84 ris-H ing from the bushings. These springs 88 function'in the same way to provide the yielding fast movementof the members It,

28 do in Fig. 1.

p I claim:

1. A machinefor slitting meat comprising two It as the springs sets of. rotary slitting knives, means to rotate said knives, a combined slice-guiding member ing members being mounted for yielding movement away from the supporting means for the other guiding member, whereby the former guiding member may have a bodily yielding movement toward the axis of the corresponding set of knives.

2. A machine for slitting meat comprising two sets of rotary slitting knives, means to rotate said knives, a combined slice-guiding member' and stripper for each set of knives, said guiding members forming between them a throat through which the slice to be slit is fed, and means supporting eachguiding member with its receiving and delivery ends spaced a fixed distance apart,

the supporting means for each one of said guiding members being mounted for bodily yielding movement away from each other. I

3. A meat-slittingmachine comprising two sets of rotary slitting knives, means to rotate the knives, a combined slice-guiding member and stripper for each set of knives, each guiding member being in the form of a. curved slotted plate, means supporting said plates in position with the knives projecting through the slots thereof, and said plates forming between them a throat through which a slice to be slit isfed, the supporting means for one 01' said plates being yieldingly movable in a direction away from the supporting means for the other plate.

4. A- meat-slitting machine comprising a frame, two sets of rotary slitting knives carried thereby, means to rotate said knivx, a combined meat-guiding and stripper member for each set of knives, each guiding member being in the form of a curved slotted plate, bars extending transa versely of said frame to which said plates are secured, a sleeve secured to each end of each bar, rods carried by the frame on which said sleeves are slidably mounted, and springs carried by the rods and forming a yielding backing for the sleeves. I

5. A meat-slitting machine comprising two parallel knife shafts, a set of rotary knives on each shaft, the knives of each set being spaced from each other, means for rotating the shafts, means for guiding a slice of meat between the two sets of knives, and means for adjusting the twosets of knives relativelyin a direction parallel to the axes of rotation thereof, thereby to place the two sets of knives in relative positions with the knives of one set either in line with position in which the knives on one shaft have "25 its length."

" two parallel. knife shafts rotatably mounted therein, a set of rotary knives on'each shaft,

-meanstorotatetheshafts,means forguidinga slice of meat between the two'sefs of knives. and means accessible on the outside of the frame at moneendoftheshaftsforrelativelyadjusting thetwosetsofknivesbothtowardandfromeach other and means le on the'outside of the frame at the-other ends of the shafts to adjust said shafts relatively in the direction of 5 their axes of rotation. Y

8. A meat-slitting machine comprising two parallel knife shafts, a set of rotary knives on eachshaft, means for rotating the shafts, means for guiding a slice of meat as it is fed between the 20 two sets of knives, means operable from one end of one shaft for adjusting said shaft toward and from the other shaft, and means operable from the'other end ofsaid shaft for adjusting it relative to theother shaft in the direction of 9. A meat-slitting machine comprising two sets of rotary knives having parallel axes, means to rotate the knives, a; slice-guiding and stripper plate assodated with each set of 30 kniveaeachpla'tebeingcurvcdandhavingslots through which the co knives project, and said plates forming hetweenthem-a vertical 'convergingthroatthrcuahwhichiheslicetobe slitisfed,andmeansformovlngsaidplates 35 downwardlytherebyiocarrytheslicepastthe 10. A meat-slitting machinecompriaing two sets of rotary knives-having their am in the,

guiding. members yieldingly against the slice as it is being slit.

12. A meat-slitting machine comprising a frame, two sets of rotary slitting knives carried thereby, means to rotate said knives, a combined 5 meat-guiding andstrlppermember for each set of knives, each guiding member being in the form of a curved slotted plate, bars extending transversely, of said frame to which said plates are secured, a sleeve secured to each end of each bar, rods carried by the frame on which said sleeves are slidably mounted, and springs connecting the sleeves carried by each rod-and acting to hold the guiding members yieldingly against the slice as it is being silt. 13. A machine for slitting meat comprising two sets of rotary slitting knives between which the meat is fed, means to rotate said knives, a com bined slice-guiding member and stripper for each set of kniveasaid guiding members forming between them a throat through which the slice to be slit is fed, one of said guiding, members being mounted for bodily yielding movement toward the axis of the corresponding set of knives and the other guiding member being bodily adiustable toward and from the axis of the other set of knives, and means to secure said other guiding member fixedly in adjusted position.

14. A machine for slitting meat comprising a frame, two lmife shafts rotatably mounted therein, a' set of disk knives on each shaft, means to rotatesaid shaft, means for guiding a slice of meat in its movement between the sets of knives, and an exteriorly screw-threaded sleeve having screw-threaded engagement with the frame, one 5 of the shafts having one of its ends-journaled insaid sleeve and the sleeve andshaftbeingv held from movement relative to each other in an axial direction, said sleeve having a finger gripbywhich itmay be rotatedintheframe thereby to adiust the last-named-shaft relative,

--totheothershaftinthedirectionofitslength.

. 15. A meat slitting machine comprlsingaframe,

-two parallel knife shafts rotatably mounted therein, a set of disk knives on each shaft, means *5 to rotate the shafts, means for guiding a slice of meat between the two sets of knives, two shaftsupporting bushings molmted in the frame, one at each end of one of the shafts, said shaft being journaled in'the bushings eccentrically thereof,

, an uteriorly screw-threaded sleeve having screwthreaded engagement with one of the bushing: and through which said shaft passes, mans for. turning the" bushinas ln the frame, thereby to adimtaaidshafttowardandfromtheothershaft, andmeans for rotating the screw-threaded sleeve therebyadiustingsaidshaftinanaxialdirec coma assure. Q 

